Date: 22 October 2020Time: 9:00 AM
Finishes: 22 October 2020Time: 11:00 AM
Venue: Virtual Event
Type of Event: Film Screening
FILM SCREENING, TALK & DISCUSSION
This UK premiere of the documentary film (English language 52 minutes) produced by Abundant Art explores the iconic collaboration in 1923 at the Royal Opera House in London between Prima Ballerina Anna Pavlova and the then-unknown Indian painter turned dancer Uday Shankar, who later goes on to become an international star.
Abstract:
A Meeting of Cultures is written and directed by Protima Chatterjee, the founder of Abundant Art and edited by Roger Kitchen; Piali Ray OBE, Director of Sampad Arts and Heritage, is the Creative Advisor and project mentor. The film is based on the iconic collaboration in 1923 at the Royal Opera House in London between Prima Ballerina Anna Pavlova and the then-unknown Indian painter turned dancer Uday Shankar, who later goes on to become an international star. It explores the current relevance of this historic collaboration and how it remains an inspiration to the diverse cultural scene in the UK.
This inspirational story is told from the vantage point of students of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The film is about their journey of discovery as part of their BA2 historical project of one of the first artistic connections between the UK and India, classical and contemporary dance and the birth of a new legacy. The film includes rare archival material and interviews with students, academics, historians, choreographers, film experts, Shankar’s family, and artists like Akram Khan, Mark Baldwin and upcoming south-Asian talents like Vidya Patel who speak about the current relevance of this iconic collaboration and their association with the heritage. Through its storytelling ‘A Meeting of Cultures’ uncovers the cross-cultural influences in the contemporary cultural scene. The film is a part of a heritage project launched in 2018 and is supported by the National Heritage Lottery, Trinity Laban, Sampad Arts and Heritage and Roehampton University.
Abundant Art Portal will make the film available for SOAS students with an ID for access, for the next 6 months from 22 October following the Festival of Ideas screening at no additional cost.
Panel Discussants:
Chair and Discussant: Dr Sanjukta Ghosh (SOAS South Asia Institute)
Protima Chatterjee is the Founder of Abundant Art (2014), an online Artzine that delivers conceptual Arts and Cultural heritage programmes. She is the Director of the Uday Shankar Anna Pavlova Heritage Project; trained in the Uday Shankar style of dance from a very young age with the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre and the Ananda Shankar Centre for Performing Arts.
Piali Ray OBE – Director of Sampad Arts and Heritage, Birmingham; Alumna of Uday Shankar India Culture Centre.
Bisakha Sarker MBE — Artistic Director of Chaturangan, Liverpool; Alumna of Uday Shankar India Culture Centre.
Rakesh Sengupta, PhD program, School of Languages (SOAS)
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This event is part of the Virtual SOAS Festival of Ideas, a week-long series of virtual events. The festival includes: panel discussions, student led installations, masterclasses, keynote lectures, a public debate for/against on Decolonising Knowledge and a Verbatim performance by Bhuchar Boulevard on ‘Decolonising Not Just a Buzzword’ capturing SOAS conversations about the need to decolonise its imperial mission.
Keep updated on the upcoming Virtual Festival of Ideas events and watch recordings of previous events on the SOAS website. Please contact foi@Soas.ac.uk with any questions regarding this event and/or the Virtual SOAS Festival of Ideas.
Please support SOAS Festival of Ideas by donating to our crowdfunding campaign at https://soas.hubbub.net/p/SOASFestivalofIdeas/. All proceeds go to supporting the speakers, performers, and artists involved.
Organiser: SOAS Festival of Ideas, SOAS South Asia Institute
Contact email: foi@soas.ac.uk
